This is the diary of Sergeant William H. Mengel. Born in Germany in 1838, Mengel came to America with his parents in 1847. He moved to California, Moniteau County, Missouri in 1859.
When the Civil War began, Mengel was “pressed” into service by the Missouri State Guard as a teamster in May 1861, but then joined the Union cause. He served originally as a member of the 1st Regiment U. S. Reserve Corps from July to October 1861; Mengel was wounded, captured, and paroled at the Battle of Lexington in September1861. He then enlisted on October 4, 1861 in the 26th Missouri Volunteer Infantry (US), and was promoted to second lieutenant on June 18, 1862, to first lieutenant on February 19, 1863, and to captain on May 1, 1864, and was mustered out in January 1865. He died in 1917.
The diary entries begin in 1860 and end in early 1862, with the last detailed entry on December 31, 1861.
